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O- 


.  .  THE  .  . 


MILLENNIUM 


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Gospel  Trumpet  Company 


Anderson,  Ind.,  U.  S.  A. 


The  MILLENNIUM. 


BY  C.  W.  NAYLOR. 


1906 

GOSPEL  TRUMPET  COMPANY, 
Anderson,  Indiana,  U.  S.  A. 


THE 


MILLENNIUM. 


BY  C.  W.  NAYLOR. 

It  is  the  firm  belief  of  a  multitude  of  persons 
that  Christ  will  reign  here  upon  earth  as  a  universal 
king ;  that  he  will  sway  his  scepter  over  all  the  world 
from  his  throne,  which  will  be  set  up  in  the  city  of 
Jerusalem  for  a  thousand  years.  Around  this  idea  has 
been  built  a  vast  array  of  fanciful  theories  of  a  reign 
of  righteousness,  peace,  and  an  ideal  state  of  affairs 
in  general.  To  state  the  position  of  those  who  believe 
in  this  would  be  very  difficult,  except  in  most  general 
terms,  as  the  number  of  theories  concerning  it  are  al¬ 
most  as  great  as  the  number  of  individuals  who  believe 
in  it,  especially  in  the  details. 

However,  as  regards  time  there  are  two  general  the¬ 
ories.  1.  That  it  will  be  just  before  Christ’s  advent. 
2.  That  it  will  begin  at  or  just  about  the  time  of  the 
advent.  It  is  not  the  object  of  this  treatise  to  take 
up  the  various  theories  relating  to  the  subject,  but 
simply  to  show  that  there  is  no  room  either  before  or 
after  Christ ’s  advent  for  such  a  period ;  and  that 
such  being  the  case,  the  theory  ,  rests  on  false  prem¬ 
ises  and  is  wholly  indefensible. 

Many  people  believe  that  Satan  is  to  be  bound  for  a 
thousand  years,  and  then  loosed  for  a  little  season  just 
before  the  end  of  time,  and  that  during  that  period 

3 


4 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


when  this  power  is  bound  will  be  the  millennium. 
Space  can  not  be  given  here  for  an  explanation  of  that 
prophecy,  but  the  reader  is  referred  to  other  works 
where  the  matter  is  explained  in  detail.  However,  to 
show  that  the  usual  interpretation  is  incorrect,  we 
will  notice  a  prophecy  of  Peter. 

“Knowing  this  first,  that  there  shall  come  in  the 
last  days  scoffers,  .  .  .  saying,  Where  is  the  promise 
of  his  coming?  for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep,  all 
things  continue  as  they  were  from  the  beginning  of 
the  creation.”  2  Pet.  3:  3,  4. 

Here  we  see  in  the  days  just  preceding  Christ’s  com¬ 
ing  (for  it  is  evident  from  the  context  that  this  was 
the  time  of  which  he  was  speaking),  that  those  who 
disbelieve  in  the  warnings  of  his  approaching  advent, 
will  offer  as  evidence  the  fact  that  things  are  just  as 
they  always  were,  therefore  there  is  nothing  to  fear, 
as  things  will  probably  continue  as  they  have  been. 
Were  there  to  be  a  millennium,  no  such  argument 
could  ever  be  offered,  as  the  proof  of  the  approach  of 
the  end  of  time  would  be  too  convincing.  Neither  could 
it  be  said  that  “things  are  just  like  they  always  have 
been.” 

The  fourth  chapter  of  Micah  is  a  seeming  strong¬ 
hold  of  millennium  teachers,  and  we  will  notice  it  but 
briefly,  since  it  is  somewhat  outside  the  scope  of  the 
present  investigation.  “But  in  the  last  days  it  shall 
come  to  pass  that  the  mountain  of  the  house  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the  mountain. 
.  .  for  the  law  shall  go  forth  of  Zion,  and  the  word 
of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  And  he  shall  judge 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


among  many  people,  and  rebuke  strong  nations  afar 
off;  and  they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plowshares, 
and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks :  nation  shall  not 
lift  up  a  sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn 
war  any  more.” 

We  are  concerned  only  with  the  time  of  the  above. 
The  expression  “last  days”  is  thought  by  many  to 
mean  the  latter  part  of  the  Christian  era,  but  we  will 
give  several  similar  expressions  where  it  covers  the 
entire  period  from  Christ’s  coming  to  the  end  of  time. 
God  “hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  his 
Son.”  Heb.  1:  2.  Christ  “was  manifest  in  these  last 
times  for  you.”  1  Pet.  1:20.  “It  is  the  last  time.” 
1  Jno.  2: 18.  “But  now  once  in  the  end  of  the  world 
hath  he  appeared  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of 
himself.”  Heb.  9 :  26.  Peter,  speaking  of  the  outpour¬ 
ing  of  the  Spirit  at  Pentecost,  said,  “This  is  that 
which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel;  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  saith  God,  I  will  pour 
out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh.”  Acts  2 : 16,  17. 

In  the  foregoing  texts  “last  days,”  “last  time,'’ 
“end  of  the  world,”  etc.,  refer  to  Christ’s  coming 
and  sacrifice,  and  that  which  immediately  succeeded 
it,  and  they  are  appropriate  for  all  time  since.  The 
fourth  chapter  of  Micah  must  be  understood  in  the 
same  way  as  being  a  prophecy  of  Christ’s  coming  in 
the  days  of  the  Roman  empire.  The  picture  of  peace 
among  the  nations  is  simply  a  figure  of  the  peace 
created  in  the  heart  and  life  by  the  power  of  the  gos¬ 
pel,  and  should  not  be  literally  interpreted.  The  go¬ 
ing  forth  of  the  law  from  Jerusalem  was  fulfilled  by 


the  Millennium. 


its  being  the  scene  of  the  chief est  events  of  Christ’s 
ministry,  also  by  it  being  the  source  from  whence  the 
gospel  was  scattered  over  the  then  known  world.  See 
Acts  8:  1-4. 

We  will  now  leave  the  negative  argument  and  pro¬ 
ceed  with  the  positive,  which  will  be  considered  under 
several  headings.  We  will  first  see  what  will  be  the 

STATE  OF  THE  WORLD  AT  CHRIST'S  ADVENT. 

“And  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Noe,  so  shall  it  be 
also  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man.  They  did  eat, 
they  drank,  they  married  wives,  they  were  given  in 
marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the 
ark,  and  the  flood  came,  and  destroyed  them  all. 
Likewise  also  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Lot;-  they  did 
eat,  they  drank,  they  bought,  they  sold,  they  planted, 
they  builded ;  but  the  same  day  that  Lot  went  out  of 
Sodom  it  rained  fire  and  brimstone  from  heaven,  and 
destroyed  them  all.  Even  thus  shall  it  be  in  the  day 
when  the  Son  of  man  is  revealed.”  Luke  17 : 26-30. 

“And  as  he  sat  upon  the  mount  of  Olives,  the  dis¬ 
ciples  came  unto  him  privately,  saying,  Tell  us,  when 
shall  these  things  be?  and  what  shall  be  the  sign  of 
thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world?  .  Many 
false  prophets  shall  arise,  and  shall  deceive  many. 
And  because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many 
shall  wax  cold.  .  .  .  And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto 
all  nations;  and  then  shall  the  end  come.”  Mat.  24: 
3,  11-14. 

Christ  here  describes  the  state  of  the  world  just 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


1 


preceding  his  coming,  showing  that  humanity  will 
still  continue  as  it  has  ever  been,  and  that  there  will 
not  be  universal  righteousness,  but  that  “iniquity 
shall  abound/’  and  “the  love  of  many  shall  wax 
cold.”  Paul  says,  “Evil  men  and  seducers  shall  wax 
worse  and  worse,  deceiving  and  being  deceived.”  2 
Tim.  3 : 13.  Jesus  in  the  parable  of  the  good  and  bad 
servants  (Mat.  24 :  45-51)  shows  clearly  that  both  good 
and  bad  will  be  on  earth  at  his  coming,  also  in  other 
scriptures,  which  will  be  noticed  later. 


MANNER  OF  HIS  COMING. 


1.  As  he  went. — “And  when  he  had  spoken  these 
things,  while  they  beheld,  he  was  taken  up;  and  a 
cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight.  And  while  they 
looked  steadfastly  toward  heaven  as  he  went  up,  be¬ 
hold,  two  men  stood  by  them  in  white  apparel ;  which 
also  said,  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up 
into  heaven  ?  this  same  Jesus,  which  is  taken  up  from 
you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye 
have  seen  him  go  into  heaven.  ’  ’  Acts  1 :  9-11. 

2.  In  the  clouds. — “They  shall  see  the  Son  of  man 
coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and  great 
glory.”  Mat.  24 :  30. 

3.  Unexpectedly.— “But  of  that  day  and  hour 
knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels  of  heaven,  but  my 
Father  only.”  “Ye  know  not  what  hour  your  Lord 
doth  come.”  “In  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the 
Son  of  man  cometh.”  “The  Lord  of  that  servant 
shall  come  in  a  day  when  he  looketh  not  for  him,  and 
in  an  hour  that  he  is  not  aware  of.”  Mat.  24:36, 


8 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


42,  44,  50.  “The  day  of  the  Lord  so  cometh  as  a 
thief  in  the  night.  ’  ’  1  Thes.  5 :  2. 

Openly.— “Wherefore  if  they  shall  say  unto  you, 
Behold,  he  is  in  the  desert;  go  not  forth:  behold,  he 
is  in  the  secret  chambers,  believe  it  not.  For  as  the 
lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and  shineth  even 
unto  the  west ;  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
man  be.”  Mat.  24:26,  27. 

On  the  above  scriptures  we  base  the  following  prop* 
ositio-ns : 

i  1.  His  coming  will  be  unexpected,  “in  an  hour 
when  ye  think  not”;  therefore  all  those,  in  whatsoever 
time  and  place,  who  prophesy  that  such  and  such  a 
day,  or  month,  or  year,  Christ  will  appear,  are  vain 
talkers,  men  void  of  understanding. 

2.  He  has  not  come  already,  as  some  vainly  say, 
since  his  coming  is  to  be  a  fact  known  universally. 
“Every  eye  shall  see  him.”  Rev.  1 :  7.  The  glory  and 
majesty  of  his  presence,  he  tells  us,  will  shine  around 
this  old  world  and  illuminate  it,  as  a  flash  of  light¬ 
ning  in  the  east  shines  to  the  western  horizon,  lighting 
up  the  entire  expanse  of  our  vision.  Though  the  time 
of  this  coming  is  a  secret  that  we  can  never  fathom, 
yet  the  fact  that  he  has  come  when  he  appears,  will  be 
apparent  to  every  one. 

3.  He  will  come  but  once.  There  exists  an  idea 
among  some  that  Christ  will  come  to  reign  on  earth 
a  thousand  years,  and  at  some  future  time  come  again 
to  consummate  the  final  act  of  this  time-world.  He 
will  come  but  once.  In  every  place  where  the  subject 
is  mentioned  it  is  in  the  singular  number.  Never  is 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


3 


it  spoken  of  in  language  that  would  admit  of  two  com¬ 
ings,  whatsoever  might  be  the  purposes  thereof.  Let 
the  reader  keep  this  proposition  in  view ;  not  so  much 
because  of  its  weight  standing  alone,  but  because  of 
its  importance  when  associated  with  other  facts  to  be 
adduced  later. 

THE  ADVENT. 

When  those  men  of  Galilee  saw  the  form  of  the  Son 
of  God  pass  from  sight  into  the  clouds,  little  did  they 
think  that  nearly  twenty  centuries  later  we  should 
still  be  looking  for  his  return.  He  had  said  to  them, 
“I  go-  and  if  I  go— I  will  come  again.”  He  will 
come.  Some  glad  day  our  eyes  shall  behold  the  King. 
Though  we  know  not  the  day  nor  the  hour,  our 
hearts  wait  in  eager  expectation  and  our  lips  are  * 
ready  to  join  the  rapturous  acclaim. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  events  that 
will  accompany  and  follow  his  advent.  One  of  the 
first  events  to  transpire  will  be  the 

RESURRECTION  OP  THE  DEAD. 

The  propositions  which  follow  under  this  head 

• 

are  of  the  utmost  importance,  being  so  often  entirely 
overlooked  in  the  consideration  of  the  subject.  The 
argument  will  of  necessity  be  much  condensed,  and 
will  require  the  thoughtful  attention  of  the  reader. 
We  will  not  multiply  proof-texts,  but  only  give  a  few 
of  the  most  pointed.  The  first  proposition  is,  that 
all  the  dead  shall  be  resurrected.  Some  have  thought 
that  only  the  righteous  will  be  raised,  and  that  the 


10 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


wicked  have  already  ceased  to  exist.  Such  is  not  th( 
case,  however.  “For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  ir 
Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive.  ’  ’  1  Cor.  15 :  22.  Here 
we  have  a  positive  declaration  that  as  many  as  die 
that  same  number  shall  be  made  alive  again.  This 
can  not  be  gainsaid,  as  he  was  speaking  directly  of  th( 
resurrection  of  the  body,  as  seen  in  the  preceding 
verse,  which  we  quote :  ‘  ‘  For  since  by  man  camt 
death,  by  man  came  also  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  alive.”  Yer.  21,  22. 

Here  it  becomes  necessary  for  us  to  notice  another 
false  position  held  by  a  large  part  of  Christendom. 
That  is,  that  there  will  be  a  resurrection  of  the  right¬ 
eous,  and  then  will  follow  a  wonderful  time  of  a 
thousand  years  when  only  the  righteous  live  on  the 
earth  and  the  wicked  are  in  the  grave,  and  that  at  the 
end  of  this  period  the  wicked  shall  be  raised.  This 
idea  is  based  on  the  following  text:  “And  I  saw  the 
souls  that  were  beheaded  for  the  witness  of  Jesus,  . 
.  .  and  they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand 
years.  But  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again  until 
the  thousand  years  were  finished.  This  is  the  first 
resurrection.”  Rev.  20:  4,  5. 

To  consider  this  text  alone  we  would  naturally  con¬ 
clude  there  were  two  resurrections:  one  of  the  right¬ 
eous,  and  afterward  another  of  the  wicked.  We  will  no¬ 
tice,  however,  a  declaration  of  Christ  which  positively 
declares  to  the  contrary.  ‘  ‘  Marvel  not  at  this :  for  the 
hour  is  coming,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the 
£raye§  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth ;  they 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


11 


that  have  clone  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of  life;  and 
they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
damnation.”  John  5:  28,  29.  This  text  clearly  teach¬ 
es  that  all  the  dead  will  rise  at  once,  and  numerous 
others  testify  to  the  same  fact.  The  text  in  Re /ela¬ 
tion,  therefore,  can  not  relate  to  this  subject.  An  ex¬ 
planation  of  its  significance  will  be  given  farther  on. 

As  a  further  proof  of  the  proposition  that  all  the 
dead  will  be  raised  at  once,  we  refer  to  Daniel.  As  so 
many  quotations  must  be  introduced  here,  we  can 
quote  only  such  parts  as  are  necessary  to  the  argument, 
trusting  that  the  reader  will  consider  the  context  in 
his  Bible 

“And  at  that  time  shall  Michael  [Christ]  stand  up, 
.  .  .  and  many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the 
earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life,  and  some 
to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt.  And  they  that  be 
wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament.” 
Dan.  12:1-3.  In  the  above  text  “many”  would  be 
more  properly  rendered  “the  many”  or  “the  multi¬ 
tude,”  including,  as  Christ  does,  all  the  dead.  But, 
however  we  look  upon  this,  the  fact  remains  that  the 
wicked  and  righteous  are  raised  at  the  same  time. 
Again,  we  find  this  further  proposition :  the  righteous 
are  raised  up  on  the  last  day,  therefore  the  wicked 
must  be  raised  with  them  or  not  at  all.  “Jesus 
saith  unto  her,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again.  Martha 
saitli  unto  him,  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again  in 
the  resurrection  at  the  last  day.”  John  11:23,  24. 
‘‘And  this  is  the  Father’s  will  which  hath  sent  me, 
that  of  all  which  he  hath  given  me  J  should  lose 


12 


TIIE  MILLENNIUM. 


nothing,  blit  should  raise  it  up  again  at  the  last 
day.  And  this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that 
every  one  that  seeth  the  Son,  and  bclieveth  on  him, 
may  have  everlasting  life:  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at 
the  last  day.  .  .  .  No  man  can  come  to  me,  except 
the  Father  which  hath  sent  me  draw  him :  and  I  will 
raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  .  „  .  Whoso  eateth  my 
flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life,  and 
I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.”  John  6:  39,  40, 
44,  54. 

Here  it  is  declared  five  times  in  unmistakable 
terms  that  the  righteous  will  be  raised  up  “at  the 
last  day.”  If  this  be  true,  it  is  certain  that 
both  classes  rise  at  once,  and  not  at  an  interval  of  a 
thousand  years.  And  if  the  righteous  rise  on  the 
last  day,  where  can  there  be  room  for  a  millennium 
following  their  resurrection? 

“At  the  last  trump:  for  the  trumpet  shall  sound, 
and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  incorruptible.”  1  Cor  15: 
52.  “For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  that  we  which  are  alive  and  remain  unto  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent  [go  before] 
them  which  are  asleep.  For  the  Lord  himself  shall 
descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of 
the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God:  and  the 
dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first :  then  we  which  are  alive 
and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in 
the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air:  and  so  shall 
we  ever  be  with  the  Lord.”  1  Thess.  4: 15-17. 

The  great  stumbling-block  in  this  text  is  the  ex¬ 
pression,  “The  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first,”  which 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


13 


is  thought  to  mean  that  the  righteous  dead  will  rise 
before  the  unrighteous  dead.  It  is  the  stronghold  of 
millennialists.  To  it,  they  flee  on  all  occasions.  If 
they  would  but  read  more  carefully  instead  of  jump¬ 
ing  at  conclusions,  they  would  jsee  that  no  reference 
is  made  as  to  whether  the  righteous  or  the  wicked 
were  to  rise  first.  That  subject  is  not  under  consider¬ 
ation.  The  thought  is  this  We  which  are  alive  shall 
not  be  caught  up  to  meet  the  Lord  while  the  dead 
are  in  the  grave,  but  they  will  rise  before  we  are 
caught  up,  and  the  living  with  those  who  have  been 
dead  and  now  are  resurrected,  will  arise  “ together” 
to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air.  “The  dead  in  Christ 
shall  rise  first,”  not  before  the  wicked,  but  before 
the  living  are  caught  up.  He  speaks  here  of  only  the 
righteous,  but  further  down  (chapter  5:1-4)  he  also 
includes  the  wicked. 

The  dead  shall  rise  at  the  last  trump.  When  the 
seventh  angel  of  Revelation  shall  raise  his  trumpet 
to  his  lips  and  sound  forth  that  last  mighty  reverberat¬ 
ing  call,  its  sound  like  mighty  thunders  will  peal 
round  and  round  this  old  world,  till  all  that  sleep 
in  the  dust  shall  hear  its  sound  ‘and  awake  from  that 
long  dreamless  slumber  that  has  for  ages  held  them 
in  its  embrace.  They  shall  cast  off  the  shackles  of  the 
grave  as  a  garment,  and  stand  forth  again  endued  with 
new  life  to  look  upon  him  whose  glorious  presence  is 
just  appearing  through  the  rending  clouds.  Too  much 
stress  can  not  be  placed  upon  the  above  scriptures,  as 
they  speak  so  clearly  and  unequivocally  'that  their 
import  can  not  be  mistaken. 


14 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


On  the  last  clay  shall  that  mighty  angel  standing 
on  the  land  and  the  sea  (see  Rev.  10)  lift  up  his  hands 
to  heaven  and  declare  that  time  shall  be  no  longer. 
“And  the  seventh  angel  sounded;  and  there  were 
great  voices  in  heaven,  saying,  .  .  .  And  the  nations 
were  angry,  and  thy  wrath  is  come,  and  the  time  of 
the  dead.”  Rev.  11:  15,  18.  Here  it  is  shown  clearly 
that  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  angel  is  the  same  as 
the  last  trump  of  1  Cor.  15 :  52.  Taking  these  scrip¬ 
tures  together  with  Jesus’  words  in  John  5:  28,  29,  it 
leaves  no  possible  chance  for  two  resurrections;  one 
of  the  just,  the  other  of  the  unjust. 

We  offer  one  further  proof  that  both  classes  will 
be  raised  when  Jesus  appears:  Christ  told  the  high 
priest  at  his  trial,  “I  say  unto  you,  Hereafter  shall 
ye  see  the  Son  of  man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of 
power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven.”  Mat. 
26:64.  “Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds;  and  every 
eye  shall  see  him,  and  they  also  which  pierced  him.” 
Rev.  1:  7.  “We  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we 
shall  be  like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is.” 
1  John  3 :  2.  When  he  appears,  the  high  priest  who 
condemned  him ;  the  Roman  soldiers  who  piereevi  his 
hands  and  his  feet  with  the  nails;  he  who  thrust  his 
spear  into  his  side ;  John,  and  those  to  whom  he  wrote ; 
yea,  “every  eye,”  shall  look  upon  him;  for  all  the 
dead  shall  live  by  him  at  his  appearing. 

ALL  SHALL  BE  CHANGED. 

“Behold,  T  show  you  a  mystery;  we  shall  not  all 
sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changed,  in  a  moment,  in 


THE  MiLLEttisrlUM. 


15 


the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump :  for  the 
trump  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  incor¬ 
ruptible,  and  we  shall  be  changed.  For  this  corrupt¬ 
ible  must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must 
put  on  immortality.”  1  Cor.  15:  51-53. 

This  event  will  transpire  at  his  coming.  “For  our 
conversation  is  in  heaven ;  from  whence  also  we  look 
for  the  Savior,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  who  shall 
change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like 
unto  his  glorious  body.”  Phil.  3:  20,  21.  Instead  of 
his  coming  ushering  in  the  millennium,  it  will  be  the 

DAY  OF  JUDGMENT. 

“I  charge  thee  therefore  before  God,  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead 
at  his  appearing.”  2  Tim.  4:1  “When  the  Son  of 
man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels 
with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his 
glory:  and  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations: 
and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from  another,  as  a 
shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats:  and  he 
shall  set  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  and  the  goats  on 
the  left  ”  Mat.  25:31-33.  “For  we  must  all  appear 
before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  that  every  one 
may  receive  the  things  done  in  his  body,  according  to 
that  he  hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad.”  2  Cor. 
5:10.  His  coming  will' be  the 

DAY  OF  REWARD. 

“And,  behold,  I  come  quickly;  and  my  reward  is 
with  me,  to  give  every  man  according  as  his  work  shall 
be.”  Rev.  22:12. 


16 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


We  shall  all  stand  before  the  .judgment-seat.  “We 
shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ. 
For  it  is  written,  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  every 
knee  shall  bow  to  me,  and  every  tongue  shall  confess 
to  God.  So  then  every  one  of  us  shall  give  account 
of  himself  to  God.  ’  ’  Rom.  14 : 10-12. 

The  fact  is  clearly  set  forth  in  the  above  scriptures 
that  both  classes  will  be  judged  at  one  time,  and  that 
there  will  be  meted  out  to  them  reward  or  punish¬ 
ment  according  to  what  their  works  in  life  have 
been.  See  Rom.  2:5-16. 

We  will  next  notice  that  the  good  and  bad  will  ex¬ 
ist  together  till  the  end  of  the  world,  when  the  sepa¬ 
ration  will  be  effected,  the  righteous  rewarded,  and  the 
v  ieked  punished.  By  establishing  this  proposition  we 
prove  that  there  is  no  pre-advent  reign  of  universal 
righteousness,  but  a  mixture  of  good  and  evil  till  the 
Lord  himself  shall  do  the  separating  by  the  means  he 
has  provided.  The  parable  of  the  tares  (Mat.  13:  24- 
30,  36-43)  presents  a  view  of  the  world.  [This  par¬ 
able  has  been  used  to  illustrate  or  to  apply  in  a  second¬ 
ary  fulfilment  to  the  preliminary  judgments  now  go¬ 
ing  forth  against  apostate  sectarianism,  resulting  in 
the  binding  of  false  spirits,  deceivers,  etc.,  and  the 
gathering  into  oneness  of  God’s  true  people.  How¬ 
ever,  according  to  the  true  import  of  this  parable, 
its  primary  fulfilment  will  be  at  the  end  of  the 
world,  as  this  treatise  shows.  Pub.]  The  world  as 
a  field  was  sown  with  good  seed  (righteous  persons) ; 
then  came  Satan  and  sowed  tares  (apostasy— evn 
men),  which  sprang  up  and  grew  together  with  the 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


17 


wheat  in  the  world.  They  should  not  be  separated, 
said  Christ,  till  the  harvest,  which  is  the  end  of  the 
world.  This  parable  alone  ought  to  be  enough  to 
convince  any  thinking  person  that  the  tares  would 
continue  to  exist  till  the  end,  rendering  any  universal 
reign  of  righteousness  impossible. 

The  separation.— “Let  both  grow  together  until 
the  harvest :  and  in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to 
the  reapers,  Gather  ye  together  first  the  tares,  and 
bind  them  in  bundles  to  burn  them:  but  gather  the 
wheat  into  my  barn.”  Mat.  13:30.  “As  therefore 
the  tares  are  gathered  and  burned  in  the  fire;  so 
shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  this  world.  The  Son  of  man 
shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they  shall  gather  out 
of  his  kingdom  [the  field,  the  world]  all  things  that 
offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity.”  Yer.  40,  41. 

“Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  net, 
that  was  cast  into  the  sea,  and  gathered  of  every 
kind:  which,  when  it  was  full,  they  drew  to  hore, 
and  sat  down,  and  gathered  the  good  into  vessels,  but 
cast  the  bad  away.  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the 
world:  the  angels  shall  come  forth,  and  sever  the 
wicked  from  among  the  just.”  Ver.  47-49. 

“Whose  fan  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  will  thoroughly 
purge  his  floor,  and  gather  his  wheat  into  the  garner; 
but  he  will  burn  up  the  chaff  with  unquenchable 
fire.”  Mat.  3:12. 

These  scriptures  are  so  plain  as  to  need  no  com¬ 
ment.  The  separation  wfill  take  place  when  Christ 
comes  at  the  end  of  the  world,  not  at  some  period 
just  shortly  preceding  his  coming;  but  he  shall  bring 


18 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


with  him  from  heaven  the  angels  who  shall  do  the 
separating,  the  binding  of  the  tares,  and  the  garner¬ 
ing  of  the  wheat. 

“When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and 
all  the  holy  angels  with  him.”  Mat.  25:31.  When 
he  appears  it  will  be  in  company  with  the  entire  host 
of  heaven.  No  wonder  the  Revelator  declared  that 
there  was  silence  in  heaven !  What  shall  be  the  mis¬ 
sion  of  these  heavenly  beings?  “The  reapers  are  the 
angels.”  “The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  an¬ 
gels,  and  they  shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all 
things  that  offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity.” 
“The  angels  shall  come  forth,  and  sever  the  wicked 
from  among  the  just.”  “And  he  shall  send  his 
angels  with  a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall 
gather  together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from 
one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other.”  Mat.  24:  31.  See  al¬ 
so  the  description  of  the  harvest  of  the  world  in  the 
fourteenth  chapter  of  Revelation. 

The  time  of  separation. — “The  harvest  is  the  end 
of  the  world.”  “So  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  this 
world.”  Mat.  13:39,  40,  49. 

In  the  above  texts  these  facts  appear:  The  world 
will  continue  a  mixture  of  good  and  evil  men,  of 
wheat  and  tares,  until  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  comes. 
Then  he  sends  forth  the  angels  who  separate  between 
the  good  and  the  bad,  and  one  shall  be  set  on  the 
right  hand,  the  other  on  the  left.  And  when  all  are 
gathered,  Christ  gives  final  sentence  of  banishment 
to  the  wicked,  and  bids  the  righteous  enter  into  eter¬ 
nal  felicity. 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


u 


“Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right 
hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world.  .  .  .  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them  on 
the  left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  ever¬ 
lasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. 
.  .  And  these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  pun¬ 
ishment:  but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal.”  Mat. 
25:34,  41,  46. 

“Seeing  it  is  a  righteous  thing  with  God  to  recom¬ 
pense  tribulation  to  them  that  trouble  you;  and  to 
you  who  are  troubled  rest  with  us,  when  the  Lord 
Jesus  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven  with  his  mighty 
angels,  in  flaming  fire  taking  vengeance  on  them  that 
know  not  God,  and  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  :  who  shall  be  punished  with  ever¬ 
lasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
and  from  the  glory  of  his  power;  when  he  shall  come 
to  be  glorified  in  his  saints,  and  to  be  admired  in  all 
them  that  believe  in  that  day.  ’  ’  2  Thes.  1 :  6-10. 

Here  it  is  stated  that  God  will  recompense  tribula¬ 
tion  and  take  vengeance  on  the  wicked  and  give  rest 
to  the  righteous  when  “he  shall  be  revealed  from 
heaven”  and  “when  he  shall  come.”  Only  a  small 
portion  of  the  scriptures  bearing  on  this  subject 
have  been  used,  but  surely  enough  to  convince  any 
thoughtful  reader.  The  program  of  the  advent  is 
this:  Christ  appears  in  the  clouds  in  power  and 
glory,  accompanied  by  the  heavenly  hosts  and  with 
the  sound  of  the  last  trump ;  the  dead  are  raised  and 
he  sends  the  angels  to  gather  together  all  mankind 


20 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


before  him;  he  sits  in  .judgment,  blesses  the  right¬ 
eous,  and  bids  them  enter  into  their  final  reward ;  he 
condemns  the  wicked  to  the  furnace  of  fire  and  sends 
them  awTay  into  everlasting  punishment. 

Wherever  time  is  alluded  to  in  reference  to  any 
of  these  events,  it  is  always  “at  his  coming,”  “when 
he  shall  appear,”  “when  he  shall  be  revealed,”  or 
some  similar  expression  denoting  the  same  time. 

Another  great  and  most  notable  event  is  to  take 
place  at  his  coming.  To  this  the  attention  of  all  post- 
millennialists  is  earnestly  called.  Instead  of  it  be¬ 
ing  the  beginning  of  a  reign  on  earth,  it  will  be  the 
time  when  this  old  world  shall  be  burned  up  and  cease 
to  be  a  home  for  anything.  “The  heavens  and  the 
earth,  which  are  now,  by  the  same  word  are  kept  in 
store,  reserved  unto  fire  against  the  day  of  judgment 
and  perdition  of  ungodly  men.  But  the  day  of  the 
Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night;  in  the  which 
the  heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  and 
the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  the  earth 
also  and  the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be  burned 
up.”  2  Pet.  3:7,  10.  “And  I  saw  a  great  white 
throne,  and  him  that  sat  on  it,  from  whose  face  the 
earth  and  the  heaven  fled  away ;  and  there  was  found 
no  place  for  them.”  Rev.  20;  11. 

In  both  of  these  texts  the  destruction  of  the  earth 
is  said  to  be  on  the  day  of  judgment,  which  has  al¬ 
ready  been  abundantly  proved  to  be  the  day  of  his 
advent.  He  shall  come  in  flaming  fire.  This  fire  shall 
consume  the  earth.  Reader,  there  is  no  room  for  a 
millennium,  there  is  no  scripture  for  one;  there  will 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


21 


be  none.  It  is  but  a  dream  of  fancy.  If  you  are  in 
sin,  bis  coming  will  mean  your  eternal  destruction; 
you  will  be  banished  to  that  place  where  their  worm 
dieth  not  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched ;  there  shall  be 
no  escape.  Oh,  turn  ye,  turn  ye ;  get  right  with  God, 
that  you,  with  the  righteous,  may  enter  into  the  joy  of 
the  Lord. 


THE  NEW  HEAVENS  AND  EARTH. 

After  the  resurrection,  the  judgment,  the  condem¬ 
nation  of  the  wicked,  and  the  destruction  of  the 
earth,  a  new  heaven  and  earth  appears.  Here  only 
the  righteous  are,  and  it  is  undoubtedly  the  place  of 
our  final  abode.  “Nevertheless  we,  according  to  his 
promise,  look  for  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth, 
wherein  dwelleth  righteousness.”  2  Pet.  3: 13.  “And 
I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth:  for  the  first 
heaven  and  the  first  earth  were  passed  away;  and 
there  was  no  more  sea.”  Rev.  21:1.  Jesus  said  to 
his  disciples,  “I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And 
if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  a- 
gain,  and  receive  you  unto  myself ;  that  where  I  am, 
there  ye  may  be  also.”  John  14:  2,  3. 

The  new  heavens  and  earth  is  evidently  the  place 
that  Jesus  has  gone  to  prepare.  This  “heavenly 
country”  will  undoubtedly  exceed  in  beauty  and 
glory  the  furthest  flights  of  human  imagination.  Oh, 
to  be  there!  Thrice  blessed  be  the  day  when  we 
shall  enter  in!  But,  “there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  in¬ 
to  it  anything  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever 
worketh  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie:  but  they  which 


22 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


are  written  in  the  Lamb’s  book  of  life.”  Rev.  21:  27. 
Dear  reader,  if  you  hope  to  enter  there,  you  must 
have  your  name  written  in  the  book;  you  must  be 
saved  from  sin;  for  only  “the  pure  in  heart”  shall 
see  God. 


THE  KINGDOM  OP  CHRIST. 

When  John  the  Baptist  began  to  preach,  his  cry 
was,  “Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand.”  Mat.  3:2.  Jesus  said,  “The  kingdom  of 
God  is  come  unto  you.”  Mat.  12:  28.  “The  law  and 
the  prophets  were  until  John :  since  that  time  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  preached,  and  every  man  presseth 
into  it.”  Luke  16:16.  These  texts  show  when  the 
kingdom  was  set  up  and  that  at  the  time  he  spoke 
men  were  entering  into  it.  John  was  in  it:  “I, 
John,  who  also  am  your  brother,  and  companion  in 
tribulation,  and  in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of 
Christ.”  Rev.  1:  9.  Paul  also  was  in  it:  “Who  hath 
delivered  us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath 
translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son.” 
Col.  1:13.  Jesus  told  Pilate  he  was  born  to  be  a 
king,  yet  gave  him  to  understand  that  it  was  not 
a  political  kingdom,  a  rival  of  the  Roman  empire, 
in  which  he  would  reign,  by  saying:  (‘My  kingdom  is 
not  of  this  world”  (John  18:36),  and  by  giving  him 
to  understand  that  if  it  were,  his  servants  would 
fight  to  maintain  it  just  as  others  would  do.  Pilate 
understood  him  and  told  the  people  that  he  found  no 
fault  in  him,  and  that  their  charge,  that  he  intended 
to  set  up  a  literal  kingdom  in  opposition  to  Caesar,  was 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


23 


groundless.  Would  that  people  to-day  could  un¬ 
derstand  this  as  well  as  Pilate  understood  it! 

And  when  he  was  demanded  of  the  Pharisees, 
when  the  kingdom  of  God  should  come,  he  answered 
them  and  said,  The  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with 
observation  [outward  show — Margin]  :  neither  shall 
they  say,  Lo,  here !  or,  Lo,  there !  for,  behold,  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  within  you  [among  you— Mar¬ 
gin].”  Luke  17:20,  21.  Whether  we  shall  take  the 
textual  or  marginal  reading  as  being  the  correct  one, 
the  thought  contained  is  this:  Men  shall  not  say,  Lo, 
here  is  the  kingdom,  Lo,  there  is  the  kingdom;  for  it 
shall  not  come  with  outward  show,  but  is  here  a- 
mong  you  already.  That  for  which  you  are  asking 
and  looking  is  here,  and  you  are  so  blinded  that  you 
are  not  aware  of  it,  but  look  for  it  yet  to  come. 

Reader,  have  your  eyes  been  enlightened?  His 
kingdom  is  a  spiritual  kingdom  and  all  who  are  born 
of  the  Spirit  are  in  it.  See  John  3:  3  and  Rom.  14; 
17.  Christ  is  supreme  ruler  in  this  kingdom,  he  hav¬ 
ing  been  so  appointed  by  the  Father.  ‘‘The  Father 
loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his 
hand.”  John  3:  35.  ‘‘All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth.”  Mat.  28:18.  Christ  is  King 
in  heaven  and  earth. 

1.  Heaven  :  Christ,  f‘who  is  gone  into  heaven,  and  is 
on  the  right  hand  of  God ;  angels  and  authorities  and 
powers  being  made  subject  unto  him.”  1  Pet.  3:  22. 

2.  Earth:  “And  hath  put  all  things  under  his 
feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  head  over  all  things  to  the' 
church,  which  is  his  body,  the  fulness  of  him  that 


24 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


filleth  all  in  all.”  Eph!  1:  22,  23.  “For  he  hath  put 
all  things  under  his  feet.  ’  ’  1  Cor.  15 :  27.  “  Thou 

hast  given  him  power  over  all  flesh.”  John  17:2. 
“For  the  Father  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  commit¬ 
ted  all  judgment  unto  the  Son.”  John  5:  22. 

Behold,  he  reigns !  Now  is  his  scepter  swayed  over 
the  nations.  His  kingdom,  the  mightiest  earth  has 
known.  His  people  are  those  who  are  born  from 
above.  “Except  a  man  he  born  again,  he  can  not 
see  the  kingdom  of  God.”  John  3:3.  “The  govern¬ 
ment  is  upon  his  shoulders,”  yea,  he  is  “Lord  of 
lords,  and  King  of  kings.”  Rev.  17 : 14.  The  glorious 
“King  of  saints”  now  reigns. 

“For  he  must  reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies 
under  his  feet.”  1  Cor.  15 :  25.  He  must  reign  till  all 
enemies  are  subdued,  till  he  has  conquered  all.  ‘  ‘  The 
last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is  death.”  Ver. 
26.  This  verse  brings  us  to  where  all  enemies  but 
one  are  overcome.  The  last  battle  is  to  be  fought ;  the 
last  foe  must  yield.  But  how  and  when  shall  this  be  ? 
Inverses  52-57  is  a  full  explanation:  “In  a  moment, 
in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump :  for  the 
trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  be  raised  in¬ 
corruptible,  and  we  shall  be  changed.  ...  So  when 
this  corruptible  shall  have  put  on  incorruption,  and 
this  mortal  shall  have  put  on  immortality,  then  shall 
be  brought  to  pass  the  saying  that  is  written,  Death 
is  swallowed  up  in  victory.  0  death,  where  is  thy 
sting?  0  grave,  where  is  thy  victory.  .  .  .  But 
thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.” 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


Or. 

+mtJ 


Death  has  long  been  victorious.  Long  has  his  scep¬ 
ter  ruled  over  humanity,  but  at  last  his  overthrow 
is  come.  When  the  dead  are  raised  and  immortalized 
death  hath  no  more  power,  and  thus  by  the  resurrec¬ 
tion  Christ  conquers  his  last  foe.  This,  as  already 
clearly  proven,  is  on  the  last  day,  the  day  of  judgment 
and  perdition  of  the  ungodly,  the  day  when  the 
earth  is  burned  up.  “And  death  and  hell  [Hades] 
were  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.”  See  Rev.  20:  11-15. 
When  on  this  notable  day  the  last  enemy  is  de¬ 
stroyed,  what  shall  he  do?  set  up  a  literal  kingdom 
on  the  earth?  Behold,  this  very  day  the  earth  is 
burned  up.  Truly,  his  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world. 
Instead  of  setting  up  a  kingdom,  we  are  told,  he  ab¬ 
dicates  in  favor  of  the  Father.  ‘  ‘  And  when  all  things 
shall  be  subdued  unto  him,  then  shall  the  Son  also 
himself  be  subject  unto  him  that  put  all  things  un¬ 
der  him,  that  God  may  be  all  in  all.”  1  Cor.  15:28. 
“Then  cometh  the  end,  when  he  shall  have  delivered 
up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father.”  Yer.  24. 
“For  he  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  un¬ 
der  his  feet”  (Ver.  25),  then  he  delivers  up  the 
kingdom.  Surely  this  is  plain  enough  for  any  one  to 
comprehend. 

THE  ETERNAL  KINGDOM  OF  GLORY. 

“Wherefore  the  rather,  brethren,  give  diligence  to 
make  your  calling  and  election  sure:  for  if  ye  do 
these  things,  ye  shall  never  fall:  for  so  an  entrance 
shall  be  ministered  unto  you  abundantly  into  the  ev¬ 
erlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus 


26 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


Christ.’ ’  2  Pet.  1:10,  11.  “I  charge  thee  therefore 
before  God,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall 
judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  at  his  appearing  and 
kingdom.”  2  Tim.  4: 1. 

This  being  outside  the  bounds  of  this  inquiry,  we 
will  not  take  space  to  discuss  it,  and  whatsoever 
might  be  said  would  be  largely  speculative.  How¬ 
ever,  it  is  evident  that  the  Father  and  Son  reign  to¬ 
gether  in  this  kingdom,  but  the  former  is  an  exclusive 
reign  of  the  Lord.  The  Father  and  Son  reign  to¬ 
gether  in  all  eternity  to  all  eternity,  but  the  Son  is 
given  temporary  jurisdiction  on  the  earth  for  a  sea¬ 
son,  where  he  rules  in  his  kingdom  of  grace.  Behold, 
he  now  sits  on  David’s  throne,  ruling  triumphantly! 
Let  us  render  homage  to  him. 

Recapitulation.  I.  There  will  be  no  millennium  be¬ 
fore  the  advent,  because: 

1.  All  things  will  remain  as  they  have  been  (2 
Pet.  3:3,  4;  Luke  17:26-30). 

2.  Both  good  and  bad  will  exist  here  together  un¬ 
til  the  advent  (Mat.  13:24-30,  36-42,  47-50). 

3.  Christ  in  speaking  of  his  advent  declared  that 
“iniquity  shall  abound”  (Mat.  24:  3,  11-13).  Paul 
says  men  shall  grow  “worse  and  worse.” 

II.  There  shall  be  no  millennium  ushered  in  at 
his  coming,  for  on  that  day  shall  be: 

1.  The  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  righteous 
and  evil  (1  Cor.  15 :  22 ;  John  5  :  28,29 ;  1  Thes.  4:16). 

2.  The  change  of  the  living  and  dead  from  cor¬ 
ruptible  to  incorruptible,  from  mortal  to  immortal 
(1  Cor.  15:51-54). 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


27 


3.  The  general  judgment  wherein  all  appear  be* 
fore  him  (2  Tim.  4:1;  Rom.  14:10-12). 

4.  The  condemnation  of  the  wicked  (2  Thes.  1: 
6-10). 

5.  The  reward  of  the  righteous  (Mat.  25:34). 

6.  The  destruction  of  this  world  (2  Pet.  3:7-9). 

7.  Subduing  of  the  last  enemy— death— and  deliv¬ 
ering  up  of  the  kingdom  to  the  Father  (1  Cor. 
15:23-28). 

8.  Appearance  of  new  heavens  and  earth,  after 
this  earth  on  which  we  live  has  been  burned  up  (2 
Pet.  3:13;  Rev.  21:  1). 

III.  There  will  be  no  millennium  after  his  advent, 
since  the  angel  has  declared  that  time  shall  be  no 
longer ;  and  all  that  remains  of  this  old  world  are  the 
gases  set  free  by  its  combustion,  and  it  is  again 
“without  form  and  void,”  as  in  the  beginning. 

Reader,  the  only  way  to  have  a  millennium  is  to 
have  the  King  of  glory  set  up  his  throne  in  your  own 
heart,  and  let  him  reign  there  in  righteousness. 
There  are  many  texts  in  the  Old  Testament  that  are 
supposed  to  teach  a  millennium,  but  we  should  not  at¬ 
tempt  to  give  a  significance  to  them  which  contradicts 
the  plain  declaration  of  the  New.  As  an  illustration 
of  the  difficulties  into  which  millennial  literalists  fall, 
we  notice  one  text  used  very  frequently  by  them  to 
show  the  wonders  of  the  age  to  come.  “The  wolf 
also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  shall 
lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  the  calf  and  the  young 
lion  and  the  fatling  together;  and  a  little  chi1 1  shall 
lead  them.  And  the  cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed ;  their 


28 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


young  ones  shall  lie  down  together :  and  the  lion  shall 
eat  straw  like  an  ox.  ’  ’  Isa.  11 :  6,  7. 

Here  is  a  wonderful  picture  of  peace  in  the  animal 
fldngdom.  But  are  we  to  understand  this  literally? 
Will  the  animals  be  converted  ?  Will  their  natures  be 
changed?  Any  one  with  physiological  knowledge  of 
the  difference  between  the  structure  of  herbivorous 
and  carnivorous  animals,  or  with  any  knowledge  of 
dentistry,  will  at  once  see  that  the  lion  could  no 
more  eat  straw  like  an  ox  than  he  could  fly  to  the 
moon ;  even  if  his  teeth  were  changed  so  he  would  be 
able  to  masticate  the  straw,  it  would  prove  fatal  as 
poison  to  him,  since  he  could  by  no  means  digest  or 
assimilate  it.  This  is  simply  a  figure  of  the  peace 
that  would  come  to  humanity  as  a  result  of  Christ’s 
coming  to  the  world  as  a  Savior.  The  time  is  given  in 
the  first  verse  of  the  chapter.  It  is  true  now. 

There  is  another  point  remaining  that  demands 
brief  notice  before  we  shall  leave  this  subject.  It 
is  necessary  to  condense  as  much  as  possible,  so  only 
an  outline  will  be  given,  and  for  a  detailed  expla¬ 
nation  the  reader  is  referred  to  other  works.* 

THE  FIRST  RESURRECTION. 

“Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first 
resurrection.”  This  resurrection  must  of  necessity 

*For  a  complete  treatise  on  the  millennium,  the  first  resurrec¬ 
tion,  the  binding  and  loosing  of  the  dragon,  the  thousand  years’ 
rejgp,  etc.,  see  “The  Kingdom  of  God  and  the  .One  Thousand 
Years’  Reign.”  Price,  cloth,  $1.00.  Address  Gospel  Trumpet 
Co. 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


29 


precede  the  general  resurrection.  We  have  proved 
that  all  the  dead  are  raised  at  the  last  trump,  at  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  on  the  day  of  judgment;  so  this 
first  resurrection  must  refer  to  something  entirely 
distinct  from  a  physical  resurrection  of  the  body. 
Jesus  said,  “The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is,  when 
the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God :  and 
they  that  hear  shall  live.  ’  ’  J ohn  5 :  25.  In  verses  28, 
29,  he  speaks  of  the  general  resurrection  as  some¬ 
thing  entirely  distinct  from  the  above.  The  first 
resurrection  is  from  a  dead  state  in  sin  to  life  in 
Christ:  “He  that  heareth  my  word,  and  believeth  on 
him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall 
not  come  into  condemnation ;  but  is  passed  from 
death  unto  life. ”  Yer.  24.  Mankind  is  “dead  in 
trespasses  and  sms”  (Eph.  2:1);  “You  being  dead  in 
your  sins”  (Col.  2:  13);  “We  were  dead  in  sins” 
(Eph.  2:5);  “Sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth 
forth  death’ *  (Jas.  1: 15) ;  “Sin  revived,  and  I  died” 
(Rom.  7:9);  “She  that  liveth  in  pleasure  is  dead 
while  she  liveth  ”  (1  Tim.  5:6). 

Jesus  gives  life:  “I  am  come  that  they  might  have 
life.”  John  10:10.  They  who  have  received 
Christ  have  been  resurrected  from  spiritual  death, 
and  now  live  with  him.  “Are  alive  from  the  dead.” 
Rom.  6:13.  “Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise 
from  the  dead.”  Eph.  5:14.  “What  shall  the  re¬ 
ceiving  of  them  be,  but  life  from  the  dead  ?”  Rom.  11 : 
15.  “He  that  .  .  .  believeth  on  him  ...  is  passed 
from  death  unto  life.”  John  5:24.  “He  that  hath 
the  Son  hath  life;  and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of 


30 


THE  MILLENNIUM. 


God  hath  not  life.”  1  John  5:12.  “And  you  hath 
he  quickened,  who  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.” 
Eph.  2:1.  “  But  God  .  .  .  even  when  we  were  dead 
in  sins,  hath  quickened  us  together  with  Christ,  and 
hath,  raised  us  up  together.”  Yer.  5,  6.  “Ye  are 
risen  with  him. ”  Col.  2:12.  “If  ye  then  be  risen  with 
Christ,  seek  those  things  which  are  above  ”  Col.  3: 1. 

The  first  resurrection  is  a  spiritual  resurrection 
from  death  in  sin  to  life  in  Christ.  But  what  of  the 
thousand  years?  “The  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  a- 
gain  until  the  thousand  years  were  finished.”  There 
have  been  two  great  periods  of  resurrection  from 
sin  in  the  Christian  era;  one  in  the  first  few  centu¬ 
ries,  the  other  since  the  reformation,  separated  by  the 
“dark  ages,”  a  period  of  a  thousand  years  when 
gospel  light  had  almost  vanished  from  the  earth. 
These  two  periods  constitute  the  first  resurrection. 
Reader,  have  you  had  part  in  the  first  resurrection? 
If  so,  then  you  are  “blessed  and  holy”:  if  not,  you 
are  ‘  ‘  dead  while  you  live.  ’  ’  Soon  shall  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  come.  Soon  shall  this  old  world  fade  away. 
“For  yet  a  little  while,  and  he  that  shall  come  will 
come,  and  will  not  tarry.”  The  signs  proclaim  him 
near.  “Be  ye  therefore  ready.”  Oh,  glorious  day 
for  the  redeemed!  Soon  shall  their  ears  hear  the 
“well  done,”  “enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.”  “And 
so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord.” 


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